Tue, February 26, 2008 - 9:13 PM

9:16

Clinton pointed out that she seems to always get the first question in these debates. She said she doesn't mind but then referred to the Saturday Night Live skit portraying a media-coddled Obama. She said, “Maybe we should ask Barack if he’s comfortable and needs another pillow."

Obama smirked; the crowd didn't seem to laugh.

-Neil Simon

9:14
They're not letting this one drop.

Obama, saying Clinton's plan will result in poor people being fined for not buying health insurance, said, "We still don’t know how Senator Clinton will enforce the mandate." People will then have no health insurance and would be paying a fine above and beyond that.
"The insurance companies are happy to have a mandate."

Clinton: This is too important. It would be as though FDR making Social Security voluntary or LBJ saying, let’s make Medicare voluntary.

Obama: It's just not accurate that her plan will cover more people than mine. I do provide a mandate for children.

Williams ended it, calling a 16-minute discussion on health care a good start.

-- Neil Simon

9:06
Clinton started off defending her health care policy by criticizing Obama's mailers as “very disturbing to me.”
His plan would leave 15 or 20 million people out, she said.
We should have a debate that uses good accurate information, especially on something as important to our country as health care, she said.

On the picture released to the Drudge Report of Obama in a turban visiting an African nation, she said, the release of the image was "not the kind of behavior I condone. We have no evidence where it came from.” She said if it came from someone in her campaign, the staffer would be dismissed.

Obama:
On the photo, "I take Senator Clinton at her word."
"That’s something we can set aside."

Senator Clinton has sent "constant attacks" on us, and we haven't "whined about it" because we understand the nature of these campaigns, he said.

9:01 p.m.

No rules --- wheee.

And the lead off is: taped piece of Clinton's soft ending to last week's debate, looking like a gracious candidate.

Then tape of a Saturday event where she says, "Shame on you" and the "Meet me in Ohio" line.

--Neil Simon

8:58 p.m.
Drinking game bets are in. Keith Olberman asked for which lines are likely to be repeated most.

Chuck Todd, NBC News Political Director
Clinton: "Shame"
Obama: "Well, we agree"

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Anchor:
Clinton "Let's get real"

I'm with Chuck. I'm sure Obama will say, "We agree" often.

--Neil H. Simon

8:57 p.m.

Here they come. Candidates are on stage.
And away we go.

--Neil H. Simon

8:50 So who got what today heading into the big debate?

Obama got endorsed by former presidential candidate Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut.
The Washington Capitals got Sergei Federov from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
And Clinton got, well, not much in a while this primary season, unless you believe all these pundits who believe she has acquired a bunch of new personalities as they pontficate on the air: Will she be nice Hillary, sharp-attacking Hillary...

Is anybody surprised by a political candidate portraying complex personality in a complex campaign? I'm not.

Less than ten minutes to go!

--Neil H. Simon

8:45 p.m.

Grab the snacks and cozy up. It's Ohio debate time.

With a week until the state's Democratic primary Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are facing off one last time.

Last week in Austin, Texas, on CNN, the candidates ended playing relatively nice. Clinton's only real jab was saying part of Obama's stump speech wasn't change you can believe in, it was "change you can Xerox." Tonight in Cleveland, on MSNBC, the question is whether Clinton (or NBC News questioners Tim Russert and Brian Williams) can draw Obama outside his comfort zone to change the course of this campaign again. We'll see in a minute.

So haul the laptop onto the couch and join in with the Herd. We'll be live-blogging now through the end.

--Neil H. Simon

Anything can happen when Clinton and Obama get on the same stage for 90 minutes in Cleveland tonight. It's their last debate before next Tuesday's make-or-break primaries in Texas and Ohio, Don't miss our Ohio reporter Neil Simon's play-by-play of the spectacle, starting about 8:45, right here on Herd on the Trail. And get in on the conversation. Register and make comments. Give us your take on the debate.
-- Marsha Mercer

Mon, February 25, 2008 - 4:03 PM

WASHINGTON – At age 71, Sen. John McCain has more energy than anyone Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has ever seen.

At least, that’s what Crist just claimed during a national TV interview about the Arizona senator.

Perhaps Crist can be excused for a bit of hyperbole, though.

After all, Crist is among those being talked about as potential McCain running mates.

Even so, did he really have to go that almost overboard when was asked during in an MSNBC interview whether he might suggest that McCain pick someone younger to round out his ticket.

“Far be it from me to counsel him on an issue of that nature,” said Crist, who is in Washington for the National Governor’s Association winter meeting. “I think that what he’ll do is what’s right for him.”

That’s when Crist – a former high school and college quarterback – started pour it on about McCain’s mojo.

“Sen. McCain has more energy that anybody I’ve ever seen,” said Crist.

“I’ve had the opportunity to campaign with him a bit in the country and boy, he makes other people awfully tired who are half his age,” said Crist.

-- Billy House

As a top adviser to Hillary Clinton, Harold Ickes, a long-time Democratic party operative, has been saying for weeks that that delegates in Michigan and Florida should have a vote at the convention in August.

The Democratic National Committee voted last year to strip the states of their say in picking the party’s nominee as a penalty for moving up their primaries. And Ickes was on the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee and voted to impose those penalties.

Hillary Clinton won both of those states, of course. And with Barack Obama’s lead on Clinton growing with every new primary and caucus, her campaign, with Ickes out front, has beating the “Florida and Michigan Should Count” drumbeat for weeks now.

That puts Ickes in an odd position. He was asked by reporters at a breakfast meeting this morning why anyone should take seriously his current argument, since, conveniently, it would help his candidate and marks a major flip-flop from his position last year.

Here’s the audio clip of his answer. I had a hard time following his argument. See if you can make sense of it for yourself.

Click the play button below to hear Ickes talking about Florida and Michigan




He seems to be saying that he voted to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates because, at the time, party officials were worried that other states would rush to move up their primaries. The fear of suffering a similar fate made other states think twice about moving up.

Now that the contest is nearing an end, the calendar is no longer a concern. What matters, he said, is that continuing to impose the penalty would be a “slap in the face” to voters in those two states, and give John McCain an advantage there in the fall.

--Sean Mussenden

Fri, February 22, 2008 - 4:32 PM

Hope you weren’t holding your breath, but its official: Barack Obama took Georgia in the state’s Super Tuesday contest.

With Obama winning by 66 percent of the vote in Georgia, that wasn’t really a question.

But what seems to be the never-ending question is the delegate count. And the Democratic Party of Georgia released Friday its official delegate count to help those of us out there who are trying to keep track of this thing.

-- Amy Dominello

If you have an interest in Alabama politics, you may want to tune into a piece Sunday on “60 Minutes.”

According to CBS:

“A Republican operative in Alabama says Karl Rove asked her to try to prove the state’s Democratic governor was unfaithful to his wife in an effort to thwart the highly successful politician’s re-election.

“… [Former Gov. Don] Siegelman was convicted of bribery in a case that has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans. In fact, 52 former states’ attorneys general from both political parties petitioned Congress to investigate Siegelman’s case, resulting in hearings held last fall.”

Watch a promo below on the story from CBS reporter Scott Pelley:



-- Amy Dominello

UPDATE: The Alabama GOP responds.

WASHINGTON – Why is California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up as the featured guest here at a fundraiser Monday for Florida Rep. C.W. Bill Young?

It all goes back to the 1990s, when Schwarzenegger was only an international action-film icon, says Young’s spokesman, Harry Glenn.

Seems that Young, who was then chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, responded kindly the former bodybuilder’s hopes to secure federal funding for after-school programs for kids.

From that, Glenn said a friendship blossomed over the years between Schwarzenegger, the congressman from Indian shores, and his wife, Beverly.

When Schwarzenegger is in the nation’s capitol, he sometimes even calls the couple to ask if he can accompany them on one of their regular visits to the are military hospitals. Rarely do those visits become publicized.

This weekend, Schwarzenegger will be in Washington again with other governors, including Florida’s Charlie Crist, for the National Governor’s Association winter meeting.

Glenn said Schwarzenegger agreed to appear at a Young fundraiser, set for late Monday morning at the Capitol Hill Club.

The event is noteworthy for another reason; Young said last month that he is running for re-election – and this proves it.

-- Billy House

Hillary Clinton’s campaign sent out an e-mail early this morning calling this clip “the moment” of last night’s Democratic debate in Texas.



But what’s your take? What was your favorite moment?

And in case you’re curious, here’s the full clip that includes Obama’s response.



-- Amy Dominello

Thu, February 21, 2008 - 1:30 PM

Mississippi seems to love its special elections this year.

First, U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker, R, was appointed to the Senate seat of Trent Lott, who resigned in December.

A special election has to be held to find a permanent replacement and there was a lot of debate over when that should be held. A court ruled it should be held Nov. 4.

Now it’s been announced that there will be an April 22 special election to determine who will fill the remainder of Wicker’s term in the U.S. House.

What’s next? A very special election? A super duper election?

-- Amy Dominello